New Delhi:
Shatabdi Roy, Tollywood actor who was brought into politics by Mamata Banerjee, is deputy to Trinamool Congress’s rebel ‘Chief Whip” Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The group of 20 rebel MPs who formed a bloc within the Trinamool, have written to the Speaker Om Birla, saying they would support the NDA — a decision Roy endorses, but only politically.
Asked whether she felt conflicted, Roy, in an exclusive interview to NDTV’s Shiv Aroor, said, “I feel politically I made the right decision… But emotionally and morally I’m wrong… Otherwise I’m done. Good thing”
Asked what she’d like to say to Mamata Banerjee, Roy delivered a surprise comment: “I miss you Didi!”
Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress, just weeks after the crushing defeat to the BJP, is struggling to contain rebellion within its ranks in the state assembly and parliament.
While in the assembly, at least 60 MLAs are backing first-time MLA Ritabrata Banerjee who claims to the “real Trinamool”, in the Lok Sabha, the 20 rebel MPs have declared that they will support the NDA in view of the people’s mandate. Two days ago, Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray quit the party and his seat, bitterly criticising the Trinamool. Today, Trinamool MP Sushmita Dev quit the party and her Rajya Sabha seat.
Shatabdi Roy agreed that it is the corruption that alienated the party from the people, and Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to address it alienated the leaders from the party chief.
Describing the tipping point, she said it was the day when Banerjee had called the party leaders to discuss the election results. While the scope of the defeat, and its causes, were clear to everyone, Banerjee, she said, refused to accept defeat and no one could contradict her.
“No one could tell their opinion. No, no, no one. She said, ‘We are not defeated against BJP. They are threatening me’. She told me, ‘If you have any problem, if you have a complaint, just write it down’. We don’t have time to write. You (Banerjee) have to take decision immediately,” Roy told NDTV.
Asked what decision she wanted the party chief to take, Roy said: “First analyse why we were defeated? It is an I-PAC problem. It is an Abhishek problem. It is our corruption problem. Corruption is a huge problem. But she is not addressing that point. And we could not say anything that day. That day, that time, I decided. The party does not want any changes, any new concept or any reshuffling… It’s going to go on and on.”
Asked if there was any possibility that Mamata Banerjee will merge with the Congress, Roy said, “I don’t think there is any option left. If Trinamool Congress join with the Congress, then it is a better opportunity”.
But there was a caveat: “Mamata Banerjee — she is a boss. She’s not the second man in any party or any committee or anything.”
“If you ask me, I feel bad for Mamata. I’m emotionally attached to her… It is hard to believe I’m not with her… This time, Mamata Banerjee is in bad shape,” she said.
